Review: Mama
Mama is quite an unconventional piece of work for its producer Guillermo Del Toro - but as a movie in the horror genre, conventional is sadly the only word that can be used to describe it.
It's simply ironic that Del Toro, whose usual work is famed for being original and unorthodox, would produce a cinematic outing that falls into so many cliches that its hard not to imagine you're watching the nightmares of someone who has recently watched a Paranormal Activity marathon.
That's not to say it's a bad movie for its genre - Mama has some solid acting, an intriguing plot and (most importantly for a horror movie) plenty of tension and jumps. Yet while the first hour or so is absorbing and scary enough to have some viewers watching it from behind their fingers, Mama slowly but surely unravels into a dull, unoriginal and frankly laughable ending which will have most either grinning with amusement or scratching their heads in confusion.
The film, extended from a three minute short by the same director Andres Muschietti, begins in 2008 as a man attempts to dispose of both his daughters and himself in an isolated woodland space - but before he can do the deed, a horrific shadowy figure kills him and assumes ownership of the kids. Flash forward five years and the children are found living as feral, scuttling beings unaccustomed to the real world; however, their uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Costar-Waldau) and his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) earn custody of the girls. Yet try as they might, the shadowy figure that the children refer to as "Mama" won't give up its prize so easily. Cue the usual haunted house shenanigans complete with slamming doors, faint scuttling and creepy children murmuring to an unseen entity.
There is a powerful message about maternal instinct and love to be found somewhere in Mama but it's simply lost amongst all the overused horror stereotypes. The spirit of Mama itself is given a very detailed back story and we are supposed to feel sympathy for the character - yet, when it's trying to kill our protagonists, it's a little hard to do as the movie commands.
As for said protagonists, Nikolaj Costar-Waldau (who most will know from his role as Jamie Lannister in Game of Thrones) gives a decent performance in his relatively simple role as Lucas, the uncle who fosters the children. Yet it's Jessica Chastain who stands out, brilliantly acting out Annabel's transformation from carefree rockstar wannabe to loving surrogate mother. Finally, the reasoning behind the hype surrounding this Oscar-nominated actress is made clear.
The movie itself looks brilliant too - there's an eerie flashback scene in which Mama's motivations are fleshed out; it captivates the eyes due to its grainy, bleak feel and its first-person POV. The cinematography is, of course, beautiful (we should expect nothing less from Del Toro) and despite the narrative dissolving into a complete shambles by the time the last few frames are rolling, there's no doubt that the supernatural climax is a feast for the eyes.
That said, the movie disappoints with its over-reliance on horror cliches ("Something just scuttled past the camera! SCREECHY VIOLIN!") and its lack of imagination regarding the side characters. Dr Dreyfuss, a psychiatrist with a keen interest in the paranormal, seems like he waltzed straight off the set of Insidious and, as grotesque and horrific as "Mama" is, her appearance is revealed far too early in the film - in a horror flick, sometimes the unseen is much more effective in scaring us than what our eyes actually behold.
Mama is a decent flick for the horror genre - and that's that. Surprisingly from Del Toro, there's a great loss of ingenuity which most have come to expect from the producer and, despite some stunning visuals and fantastic acting, there's nothing here to please anyone looking for something a little more original than the Paranormal Activity franchise. Still, it's a horror movie that scares and intrigues in equal measure, and at the end of the day you can't really ask for more than that.
See it if you liked: Paranormal Activity (2009), Insidious (2011), Sinister (2012)
The film, extended from a three minute short by the same director Andres Muschietti, begins in 2008 as a man attempts to dispose of both his daughters and himself in an isolated woodland space - but before he can do the deed, a horrific shadowy figure kills him and assumes ownership of the kids. Flash forward five years and the children are found living as feral, scuttling beings unaccustomed to the real world; however, their uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Costar-Waldau) and his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) earn custody of the girls. Yet try as they might, the shadowy figure that the children refer to as "Mama" won't give up its prize so easily. Cue the usual haunted house shenanigans complete with slamming doors, faint scuttling and creepy children murmuring to an unseen entity.
There is a powerful message about maternal instinct and love to be found somewhere in Mama but it's simply lost amongst all the overused horror stereotypes. The spirit of Mama itself is given a very detailed back story and we are supposed to feel sympathy for the character - yet, when it's trying to kill our protagonists, it's a little hard to do as the movie commands.
As for said protagonists, Nikolaj Costar-Waldau (who most will know from his role as Jamie Lannister in Game of Thrones) gives a decent performance in his relatively simple role as Lucas, the uncle who fosters the children. Yet it's Jessica Chastain who stands out, brilliantly acting out Annabel's transformation from carefree rockstar wannabe to loving surrogate mother. Finally, the reasoning behind the hype surrounding this Oscar-nominated actress is made clear.
The movie itself looks brilliant too - there's an eerie flashback scene in which Mama's motivations are fleshed out; it captivates the eyes due to its grainy, bleak feel and its first-person POV. The cinematography is, of course, beautiful (we should expect nothing less from Del Toro) and despite the narrative dissolving into a complete shambles by the time the last few frames are rolling, there's no doubt that the supernatural climax is a feast for the eyes.
That said, the movie disappoints with its over-reliance on horror cliches ("Something just scuttled past the camera! SCREECHY VIOLIN!") and its lack of imagination regarding the side characters. Dr Dreyfuss, a psychiatrist with a keen interest in the paranormal, seems like he waltzed straight off the set of Insidious and, as grotesque and horrific as "Mama" is, her appearance is revealed far too early in the film - in a horror flick, sometimes the unseen is much more effective in scaring us than what our eyes actually behold.
Summary
Mama is a decent flick for the horror genre - and that's that. Surprisingly from Del Toro, there's a great loss of ingenuity which most have come to expect from the producer and, despite some stunning visuals and fantastic acting, there's nothing here to please anyone looking for something a little more original than the Paranormal Activity franchise. Still, it's a horror movie that scares and intrigues in equal measure, and at the end of the day you can't really ask for more than that.
7/10 - Good
See it if you liked: Paranormal Activity (2009), Insidious (2011), Sinister (2012)
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